Asian Games 2026: Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod Reach 50m Rifle 3 Positions Final

India will have two shooters in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final at the 2026 Asian Games after Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod successfully negotiated a demanding qualification round on Saturday.

Tilottama produced a strong performance to finish third with 590-32x, while Vidarsa recovered strongly to take sixth with 588-29x. Both therefore secured places in the top-eight final, giving India two opportunities in the individual medal contest. The qualification round also doubled as the team competition, with India remaining firmly in contention for a medal.

Ashi Chouksey, the third member of India's team, finished outside the individual final places but remained in contention for a team medal. The individual final is scheduled for 9:30 AM IST.

Tilottama was among the leading shooters from the opening stages of qualification. After the first kneeling series, she recorded 98, matching Ashi's score, while Vidarsa posted 97.

The competition intensified in the second series. Tilottama almost produced a perfect series in prone, eventually registering 100 after a final shot worth nine. That performance propelled her up the standings and placed her firmly among the leaders. Vidarsa also produced a perfect prone series, giving herself a platform to recover after losing valuable points during the kneeling stage.

China's Han Jiayu was setting the pace at this stage, recording 198 after the first two series and later continuing her remarkable run with scores of 100 and 99 in prone.

As the competition moved towards standing, Tilottama and Ashi had positioned themselves prominently. Ashi and Tilottama were both on 395 points heading into the standing stage, with Ashi holding the second position on 25 inner 10s and Tilottama third with 23. Vidarsa's earlier kneeling performance had cost her valuable points, but she began her recovery with a 98 in the first 10 standing shots.

That lifted her into the top eight and kept her firmly in contention for a place in the final. Tilottama also began the standing stage strongly, producing a 97 in her first series and consolidating third place. The Indian team was also second in the team standings at this stage, with China leading.

Ashi's Standing Round Changes the Picture

Ashi's challenge for an individual final place took a major hit during the standing stage. After being among the top three heading into standing, she recorded a 93, causing her to slip to 13th position. That made it extremely difficult for her to overtake either Tilottama or Vidarsa and secure one of India's two available individual final positions. Ashi responded with a 97 in her final series, but it was not enough to bring her back into the top eight.

Despite missing the individual final, she remained in contention for a team medal because the qualification scores of all three Indian shooters contribute to the team standings.

Vidarsa's qualification was particularly notable given the difficult start she endured. After the opening kneeling series, she had dropped down the standings following a score of 96.45 in the second phase, leaving her 24th at one point. However, her performance in prone and standing allowed her to climb steadily back into contention.

A perfect prone series gave her valuable momentum, followed by a 98 in her first standing series. That recovery ultimately took her into the top eight. Vidarsa finished qualification with 588-29x, good enough for sixth place and a place in the individual final.

China Leads Team Standings

China also produced a strong qualification performance, with Han Jiayu leading the individual standings and Zhang Liyuan and Wang Zifei also featuring prominently. Jiayu had established a significant advantage through the early stages, dropping only three points after 40 shots. China's strong performances also put them at the top of the team standings, with India in second during the qualification phase. For India, the team medal remained a possibility with all three shooters contributing to the combined score.

The individual final, however, will feature only Tilottama and Vidarsa.

The 50m rifle 3 positions final follows a demanding format that tests shooters across kneeling, prone and standing positions. The final begins with 10 kneeling shots and 10 prone shots, before the competition moves into standing. After the initial standing series, athletes are eliminated progressively through single-shot stages.

Tilottama will enter the final from third place, while Vidarsa starts from sixth. Their qualification scores of 590 and 588 respectively have put both Indians in the medal conversation, although the final starts with a clean competitive stage where the athletes will battle through the different positions.

For now, India has successfully secured two places in the final.

Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod are through to the women's 50m rifle 3 positions final, while Ashi Chouksey remains in contention for a team medal as India looks to add another shooting medal at the Asian Games.